The Thunder are pegged to win 55 games and finish fifth in the West, behind the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers and Rockets.

(If you’re unfamiliar with how ESPN Forecast works, it’s basically a big panel of people all voting, with an averaged score.)

Of note: When Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are healthy, the Thunder win some 71 percent of the time. That’s 58-ish wins. There are certainly some questions and potential issues the team will have to sort through this season, but if it’s me, I’m taking the over on the forecast’s number.

Mark Deeks for NBA.com: “I am an Englishman, born and raised in a country that basically does not have basketball in any substantive form. Basketball here is a widely played game amongst inner city youth, but a jarring lack of facilities, a semi-professional domestic league, a lack of history and inexplicably little media coverage make it an afterthought sport roughly equal in stature to lamenting the fall of the empire. Rolling cheese down a hill gets more media coverage in my country than basketball does.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on the Raptors re-signing Valanciunas: “The Valanciunas deal doesn’t eliminate the Kevin Durant chase, but it does lessen their chances and limit their options in such a pursuit. That’s a good thing. Chasing the pipe dream of Durant isn’t worth risking your long-term goals and development. The Raptors believe in Valanciunas and got him back at a decent rate. That’s a win for them, no matter what happens with Durant.” Keep Reading…

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on rebuilding: “If the Bucks suffered a similar drop-off like the Hornets did, all the optimism about what they’ve done is gone and they’re just another team with some good pieces but nothing they can really count on. The Thunder knew after drafting Kevin Durant that if he was healthy, they could be a contender. The Spurs knew it with Tim Duncan. Those transcendent players remain the difference between good teams and great teams. The key to all this is that you have to keep your options open.”

Mike Gallagher of Rotoworld: “Westbrook is now entering his prime at 26 years old, so are we still going to get the same KD? I think so. In fact, KD made 80.0 percent of his field goal attempts at the rim with Westy on the court and he was assisted on 61.0 percent of those (per NBA Wowy). Overall, Durant’s true shooting percentage was 1.7 points higher with Westy, and probably the most noteworthy split is KD taking and making more 3-pointers with Westy. For fantasy, we like open 3-pointers, especially from KD. Probably one of the craziest stats in this whole column is this one: KD made 55.6 percent of his “wide open” 3-point attempts last season. For reference, Stephen Curry made only 47.0 percent. KD is some kind of shooter. Heck, he even made 43.1 percent of his 3-point attempts with “tight” defense (defender 2-4 feet away).” Keep Reading…

Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report: “Durant has to find the best balance between his inherent go-often-and-go-harder mindset that has driven him to such success and has him determined to be better than ever—and easing up on his aggressiveness to protect both his short- and long-term health. On the most basic point, Durant is cleared to play fully now on a “healed” bone. But when doctors say it is “healed,” it is healed enough that based on basic evidence it should not break again; the bone will continue to heal on some small level for more than a year.”

Darnell Mayberry: “A final not-so small slice of fortune found in the Thunder’s schedule is Memphis and Golden State appearing only three times apiece instead of four. Although each will host two games against Oklahoma City, the Thunder could greatly benefit from having to play two of the conference’s best teams a combined six times rather than eight when just one game separated four playoff qualifiers last season.” Keep Reading…